The 50 Coasters of 2016: North Europe

The end of 2016 is near and our team voted on the 50 Coasters of Europe 2016! Our choice is based not only on thrill, but also on experience, theming, setting, originality and more. We divided this series of articles between five parts dealing with the four regions of Europe and the 10 All-Star coasters! In part one, we talk about the 10 coasters selected in Northern Europe!

We defined the Northern Europe region as four countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. Every country in the region has coasters that made it on the list. It is a region where we still have to discover most of the coasters but because of the existing onces we already experienced, we found these 10 coasters out of or selection of 22. Here’s our first list in no particular order that we selected.

Daemonen (Tivoli Gardens, Denmark)

Opened in 2004, Daemonen is the world’s smallest floorless coaster ever built which makes it original. It’s located in a very small space due to the small size of the park in the center of Copenhagen. Daemonen is a miniature version of the traditional B&M floorless coasters and has most of the signature elements. It features three inversions, an Immelmann, a vertical loop and a zero-g-roll, all in a row. The big negative point of the ride is its shortness, but its original compact layout for a B&M coaster in the Chinese area, makes it really fun and a very re-rideable coaster. Little plus, the coaster is really good looking and fits the area perfectly.

Source: Tivoli Gardens

Rutschebanen (Tivoli Gardens, Denmark)

Opened in 1914, this traditional wooden coaster is the oldest operating coaster in Europe. It is not very thrilling anymore, but still a great experience for families. Besides that, it is one of the last coasters featuring a back row wagon with an employee, who slows down the ride (Brake man!). The coaster is ideal for the park and the mountain theming, a reproduction of the original 1914, is really impressive.

Source: Tivoli Gardens

Speed Monster (Tusenfryd, Norway)

Speed Monster is the first thing you will see when you enter Tusenfryd, as you must pass through the coaster to access to the park! This terrain coaster goes up to 90 km/h (56 mph) and features some crazy twists and several inversions in a go-and-back layout following the slope of the mountain.

Source: Tusenfryd

Junker (Powerland, Finland)

Junker is a launched Gerstlauer Infinity coaster located in Finland. Its name comes from the German Plane manufacturor Junker. It was the first coaster to have a Norwegian loop, a combination of a dive loop and an Immelmann.

Source: Powerland

Balder (Liseberg, Sweden)

Balder is an Intamin prefabricated Wooden coaster located in Liseberg, Sweden. It has insane airtime and is built on a pretty small footprint, which gives it the extra twist compared to other Intamin prefabricated coasters.

Source: Liseberg

Tranan (Skara Sommerland, Sweden)

The Free Fly model coaster made by S&S features a unique seat configuration and Tranan is the only one build to date. The riders are set at the sides of the track, pretty much like a Wing Coaster, but with the particularity that these ones are suspended, so you can swing with freedom going up and down the track. Also the theming is pretty well done.

Source: Skara Sommerland

Tornado (Bakken, Denmark)

This 300 m (984 feet) long Intamin coaster may not be the longest, but it sure is intense and unique. As Intamin’s only spinning coaster of this type, riders face each other as they rapidly spin around the indoor ride. The ride’s unique and twisty layout swerves in and outside of the building a few times to perfectly represent the name of the ride; Tornado. What makes this spinning coaster better than many others? It combines a great layout with typical Intamin intensity, which has brought this spinning coaster to a new level.

Source: Bakken

Thundercoaster (Tusenfryd, Norway)

Thundercoaster is the only wooden coaster of Norway and one of a handful of Vekoma Wooden-Coaster. With a height of 32m (105 feet) and a maximum speed of 93 Km/h (85mph) this coaster is a must do when you are at TusenFryd.

Source: Tusenfryd

Kanonen (Liseberg, Sweden)

When Kanonen opened in 2005, it became the most thrilling coaster of the park. This Intamin launch coaster has a pretty small footprint, but it is a fun coaster nevertheless. We have to admit, one of the reasons that it made the list is because of its closure next year. The reason is normal, compared to Helix, the coaster is a bit redundant. But who knows if it will pop up in another park!

Source: Liseberg

Piraten (Djurs Sommerland)

This Intamin Megacoaster may seem not be very big, but it’s a hidden gem. A coaster that surprises all its riders. It’s forceful and intense with a design full of airtime and G-forces which makes this coaster the perfect inversion to small-medium parks like Djurs Sommerland.

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